Joe CanzanoReviews

This was such a unique premise, and a fun read. Everything about the society is mostly ideal - except for dreams being artificially created. It's an interesting take on the dystopian/sci-fi angle, where technology is used to invade not just daily life, but the time when you're asleep. What kept it from being 5 stars for me is it is written at a middle grade level and style with YA level scenes and themes. I liked the characters, and greatly appreciate the level of world-building Canzano has done. Overall, a great read with a new twist on the dystopian trope.

First off book covers don't always play into my book selections, but I have to admit in this case it did. Because the book cover looked unfinished and like someone's first attempt at a book cover, I was not drawn to this book. However, I was willing to give it a try. This is a time where you really should not judge a book by its cover.

The only downside I had with this book is that I felt like the beginning was not the beginning. It felt like I had jumped ahead some. There was a mixture of understanding the crime that Markla was convicted with and the storyline moving really fast. One moment she is convicted and the next she arrives at Dream Prison.

As the story plays out, there is more reference to the crime as Rune tries to rescue Markla. Also, trying to learn who was who as there was not much details given about the other characters at first either. Yet, the fast pace and the fact that not too many details were spent did help as it kept the story moving along nicely and not get bogged down.

couldn't finish

This book turned out to be hilarious and one of the best books I've read in a while. Debbie, my heroine, is an amazing character. I can empathise with her in most things and she's also absolutely hilarious which makes her one of my favourite characters of all time. Also, the supporting characters, Juan, Mike, Cynthia, Suzy and all the others made the plot great and the whole book just wonderful. The only thing, that I did not love about the book was the beginning. To me, it was a bit too slow-paced, but after that, this book was absolutely brilliant in all aspects.

*I got the ARC from the publisher via NetGalley

I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair review.

I often find that a lot of science fiction books spend far too much time on the tech and not enough on developing the characters or the storyline.

In this case the balance was much better, there was enough tekkie stuff to keep the hard core sci-fi geek happy but an equal amount of time was spent getting to know the Suzy Spitfire and the other main characters.

The narrative is non stop with Suzi lurching from one sticky situation to another and it kept my attention for its entire duration.

All-in-all this was a fun story which although is perfectly self-contained leaves enough scope to continue Suzy's adventures

First of all, I want to thank the author Joe Canzano for gifting me this breathtaking book.

Every book has that one character that stands out the most. Sometimes it's the main role and other times it's a secondary character. And yes, you guessed it right. Suzy Castillo, also known as Suzy Spitfire, has a very unique personality. With her defensive humour and sarcasm she comes across as arrogant and selfish to many but despite this she shows a softer side when she meets this man Ricardo who may or may not have a secret that will end up make her have trust issues towards him.

When she meets up with her friend, Aiko, at a local bar she finds her life turning even more upside down than it originally was. He reveals her the location of her father’s life long research - an advanced Artificial Intelligence Brain - and that her father's death may have not been an accident and that, my fellow readers, is where the adventure starts.

Suzy Spitfire being the kick-ass woman she is, goes across the solar system to find this brain and is faced with obstacles in which pirates and hunters for the brain are part of it. So, embrace yourselves for a surprising experience with fights and romance and also new friends that will come along. Being this the first scy-fi book I have read, I can for sure guarantee you that this is such a nice and exciting reading and it's totally worth every minute you spend reading it.

Debbie de La Fontaine is unhappy with her sex life, so when she meets a witch who can spice up her sex life for her she reluctantly agrees to do what the witch wants her to do - give her her African Violet. The only problem is that she wanted this to work with her boyfriend. Now Debbie is destined to have amazing sex in a place called Sex Hell - a place where she can act out her fantasies no matter how absurd they are, with a "sleazy" man who is not her boyfriend. The only way she can escape Sex Hell is to keep returning there again and again until she can gather enough clues from Carl the demon - a floating head who shows up after the deed is done - to break the spell.

This was original and funny. The writing was really good. I found it did drag on a bit towards the end though. I loved Debbie's sarcastic comments. This is the kind of book I wouldn't normally read but I decided to try it anyway and I'm happy I did!

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I had previously read this author's other book, Magno Girl, and found it to be interesting and different. Sex Hell was also very interesting and unlike anything I've ever read. It's fun, absurd, and just plain weird at times, but it you like that kind of stuff then you will like this book.

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Waitress and aspiring writer, Debbie de La Fontaine has a lot of sexual requirements. Some would call them hang ups, but she is the way she is. Her boyfriend Mike cares about her and he tries to fulfill her every need, but Debbie would usually rather eat popcorn and read a good book instead of have sex. When a witch offers her a chance to spice up her sex life with a spell, Debbie gives it a try. What she didn’t think about was whether the witch was on the up and up. Now Debbie’s stuck in Sex Hell with musician Juan Carlos and they’re scrambling to fix their mutual problem before Mike finds out. But Mike has secrets of his own. Things are about to get interesting.

This is a goofy, humorous, sometimes sexy and an occasionally eye roll-worthy tale of sex, love, relationships and expectations. Debbie is a bit neurotic when it comes to sex. She’s so whiny sometimes I just want to smack her upside the head. Juan has his own quirks and so do Mike and Debbie’s best friend, Cynthia. The villain in this piece, the witch Velva (I kept calling her Vulva in my head), is a caricature of epic proportions. I love Carl the demon and Peach Blossom, Velva’s sister. The sex scenes are quite creative. I know the title is Sex Hell and there’s plenty of sex involved, but it’s not graphically described which is nice because sometimes I like to leave stuff to my imagination. If you’re looking for an absurd paranormal love story that has flawed characters, funny sidekicks, dumbass villains and sexy role playing ideas then this is an entertaining read you won’t want to miss.

Magnolia is a little known super hero flying above the streets of New York fighting petty crimes when she hears that someone just killed Joey the Round Man down at The People’s Pizzeria. She has suspicions that this is part of a larger plot and asks her friend Ron to help out by infiltrating the home of Thaddeus Stone the founder and CEO of Americamart. Ron and Magnolia attempt to unravel a mysterious evil plot while encountering dangerous villains along the way. Magno Girl’s fame increases with every bad guy she takes down and every evil plot she foils. Now she must avoid the paparazzi, endorsements, and movie deals all while dangerous super villains plot to destroy her. Will Magnolia and Ron save the day? Even when the good guys are working for the bad guys, and the bad guys control the materialistic masses.

First thing, if you’re going to take this book seriously, you’re not going to enjoy it. But if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted and whimsical super hero story then this this will be a fun read. The writing is quick and the wit is sharp. The action scenes are cheesy, but it works because it’s supposed to be cheesy. The dialogue is quirky and silly in a way that makes it endearing:

"He’s been burned and covered with pizza dough. They turned him into a man-sized Stromboli!” My jaw dropped. “Those dirty bastards.” Most of my family was in the pizza business, and while Joey was not a relative, I hated to see a good tomato soldier go down."

The writing was good, the jokes were decent, and the story line was entertaining, but what I really couldn’t get through was the interspersed moments of bickering between Magnolia and her mother. It really dragged the story for me. It was good enough the first time to show the relationship between her and her mother, but then it’s replayed over and over again through the story to the point where I literally felt Magnolias frustration. This is really the only disappointing element of the book. The world and back story are well built. The world, or at least New York, is filled with super heroes that fight crime, sometimes alongside the police, and star in commercials and sell their merchandise. There are low level heroes and famous super heroes. Magnolia doesn’t care for fame, but Ron does and they’re constantly fighting the urge to make easy money and stay true to their core belief of doing good for the greater good, not to cash out like many of the archetype super heroes. The story and it’s characters were absurd, but that’s where this book shines. This is a genuinely fun book to read. Don’t take the book seriously, go in ready to laugh and you’ll have a good time. I guarantee it.

Reviewed at The Hungry Monster Book Review

Magnolia is a little known super hero flying above the streets of New York fighting petty crimes when she hears that someone just killed Joey the Round Man down at The People’s Pizzeria. She has suspicions that this is part of a larger plot and asks her friend Ron to help out by infiltrating the home of Thaddeus Stone the founder and CEO of Americamart. Ron and Magnolia attempt to unravel a mysterious evil plot while encountering dangerous villains along the way. Magno Girl’s fame increases with every bad guy she takes down and every evil plot she foils. Now she must avoid the paparazzi, endorsements, and movie deals all while dangerous super villains plot to destroy her. Will Magnolia and Ron save the day? Even when the good guys are working for the bad guys, and the bad guys control the materialistic masses.

First thing, if you’re going to take this book seriously, you’re not going to enjoy it. But if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted and whimsical super hero story then this this will be a fun read. The writing is quick and the wit is sharp. The action scenes are cheesy, but it works because it’s supposed to be cheesy. The dialogue is quirky and silly in a way that makes it endearing:

"He’s been burned and covered with pizza dough. They turned him into a man-sized Stromboli!” My jaw dropped. “Those dirty bastards.” Most of my family was in the pizza business, and while Joey was not a relative, I hated to see a good tomato soldier go down."

The writing was good, the jokes were decent, and the story line was entertaining, but what I really couldn’t get through was the interspersed moments of bickering between Magnolia and her mother. It really dragged the story for me. It was good enough the first time to show the relationship between her and her mother, but then it’s replayed over and over again through the story to the point where I literally felt Magnolias frustration. This is really the only disappointing element of the book. The world and back story are well built. The world, or at least New York, is filled with super heroes that fight crime, sometimes alongside the police, and star in commercials and sell their merchandise. There are low level heroes and famous super heroes. Magnolia doesn’t care for fame, but Ron does and they’re constantly fighting the urge to make easy money and stay true to their core belief of doing good for the greater good, not to cash out like many of the archetype super heroes. The story and it’s characters were absurd, but that’s where this book shines. This is a genuinely fun book to read. Don’t take the book seriously, go in ready to laugh and you’ll have a good time. I guarantee it.

Reviewed at The Hungry Monster Book Review

Perhaps it just isn’t my cup of tea, but I found this book extremely hard to connect to. The synopsis sounds like a promising superhero mystery book, though not even 100 pages in and I am struggling to keep going. It is a book that I have had to set down and pick up several times before I even reached page 45.
Magno Girl is told from the perspective of the supposed love interest of the story, a biker who is infatuated with our female superhero. Though Magno Girl insists several times throughout the first few chapters that she isn’t interested in a relationship, he still pursues her and the author has them hook up before you even make it a third of the way through the book. Poor characterization and pacing are just part of why this book fails to capture my interest. The other part is the fact is that the book reads like a poor satire.
Female superheroes are great and there is a definite need for more of them. However, Magno Girl fails to succeed in keeping one’s attention. There’s promise but perhaps the book should be told from the superheroes point of view and not the biker who is in love with her... All in all, Magno Girl pales in comparison to many of the female superheroes that came before her and most likely those that will come after.
(*Note I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through Goodreads Giveaways.)

I received this book for free through BookLikes' giveaways.

This was definitely an interesting book and I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

I did love the social commentary it offered.

Legalman was my favorite villain. I thought his character was very clever.

Overall I liked it, even though the style wasn't necessarily my cup of tea.

This was awesome. It reminds me of a comic book without the graphics. It is funny, full of corny action scenes, comic book like humor, and sweet innocent love. This is not the type of book you take seriously, it is meant to be fun and fantastic. There is no great knowledge to be gained, but there is a lighthearted, fun story containing some of the most unique characters I have ever come across.

Magno Girl and Ron team up again in this story. Ron is just plain silly at times in this one tryin to pull off the "I am so manly routine," it is hilarious to read about some of his thoughts. He likes what he likes and he likes Magno Girl, a lot. In this story Magno opens up more than she did in the first story and her character really unfolds. Both characters are very fun and the way they interact and compliment each is great.

The action scenes remind me of scenes from old batman shows. I laughed out loud during a scene where Magno encounters her kryptonite, tobacco smoke. A midget tries to defeat her by smoking a cigar. Her and Ron work together and put the tiny midget in his place before he can cause a lot of damage.

This author is amazing at getting your attention and keeping it. The story is action filled and stays at a steady pace though out the entire book. I will definitely be reading anything this author writes.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a book to read to have a fun time. If you like superheroes or comics, you will most likely enjoy this book. This is meant for an adult audience.

Plot:
Ron just started dating Magno Girl who is trying to make it in a world full of superheroes. Superheroes who are apparently more interested in merchandising opportunities and advertising than saving people. Magno Girl – superpower: the Gaze of Guilt, guaranteed to make everybody break down, confess and consider their life choices – doesn’t want to fall into the same trap. When a pizza baker is found dead, Magno Girl enlists Ron’s help in the investigation that she suspects is part of a bigger plot.

Magno Girl is a book that tries very hard to be funny. Sometimes that even works out, but mostly it became a little too crazy and random for my taste.

Read more on my blog: http://kalafudra.com/2015/07/31/magno-girl-joe-canzano/½

Quirky, irreverent, smart. Will be enjoyed by anyone who loves super heroes and recognizes the crazy world of consumerism that we live in today. Highly enjoyable.

The title first caught my attention. Magnolia, not your typical girl, has powers that for the most part are available to help others. At one point, when she loses her powers, she still tries to help as best she can. Full of laughs, the characters play off each other to a hilarious conclusion.½

Joe Canzano did it again in this prequel to Magno Girl. I was laughing throughout the story and I loved seeing how Magnolia (aka Magno Girl) and Ron, the ninja motorcyclist, met. Another fun, action packed read to couple with the first Magno Girl.

I received this free copy in exchange for an honest review.½

Ridiculously funny, Magno Girl had me laughing out loud throughout the witty dialogue and strange actions of the characters. Interesting and action packed but surprisingly light and fun, the story had it all. If you are looking for a fun story full of humor, action and romance you don't have to look far.

I received this free copy in exchange for an honest review.½